Starting with version 1.8.5, MakeMKV comes with libmmbd library. This library provides a simple API that any application can use to decrypt M2TS/SSIF files from a blu-ray disc. The library is licensed under open-source LGPL license. The way library works, it launches a MakeMKV instance in background and communicates with MakeMKV in order to get decryption keys - so working MakeMKV is required for the library to function. The libmmbd library is designed to be updated very infrequently - all the logic is inside MakeMKV, and libmmbd is just a proxy. The libmmbd source code is part of MakeMKV oss linux package.

Also, libmmbd emulates two popular open-source libraries, libaacs and libbdplus. What this means, that after a one-time setup, any application that uses libbluray/libaacs for decryption will be able to open a protected blu-ray disc, as long as MakeMKV is installed. Most notable application that uses libbluray is Videolan VLC player. The OS-specific instructions how to set up libmmbd to emulate libaacs are provided in linux and mac os subforums.